Summary: Most people don’t bother to back up their files, leaving them easily vulnerable. If your laptop or mobile device ever gets lost, stolen, or damaged, everything on it is gone for good if it’s not backed up.

With an online backup service at your disposal, you can make sure that nothing is ever truly lost, and even keep your personal information from falling into the wrong hands. By backing up your files to a secure, remote server, your files are safe and sound, even if your device isn’t.

For the simplest online backup service with the most built-in features to protect your data, get iDrive now.

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Why Are My Files at Risk?

Mobile devices and wireless internet have completely changed the way the world works, and every day new applications and services emerge to make our lives more convenient and accessible. It’s no secret that that convenience comes at a price though.

With everything being digital, our information is flying all over cyberspace, and it can be hard to keep track of. On top of that, most of us don’t even bother to keep hard copies of things like photos and contact information – when’s the last time you flipped through a photo album or an address book?

All of this digital information is highly vulnerable to loss. All it takes is to drop your phone, have your laptop stolen, or get a virus on your computer, and everything you have is gone in an instant.

External hard drives are a great way to free up space on your devices, but they don’t actually protect your data, and are vulnerable to most of the same threats the original copies would be.

What is Cloud Storage?

For those that are just getting into the cloud services realm, here’s a quick rundown of how cloud storage works. Basically, companies have servers, and those servers are like virtual real estate. When you back up or store files there, it’s like renting a storage unit.

In exchange for your monthly fee, the cloud storage service provides you with secure and simple file access, and is responsible for making sure your files remain private and secure.

How Does Online Backup Work?

Online backup services rely on the basic principle of cloud storage, except that in addition to providing you with storage space, these services also provide you with software that backs up your devices.

Rather than giving you a cloud for the sole purpose of storing files, the service is designed to create redundant copies of everything on your system, so that in the event of loss or damage, nothing is truly lost.

Basically, when you sign up for a service plan, you get a software package for your operating system – or in the case of mobile devices, an app.

From there the program typically will walk you through the backup process and immediately begin a backup of your entire system, which can typically take between a few hours and a few days, depending on how many files you have.

The system copies everything and uploads it to the company’s secure servers, where they are stored, encrypted and secure. If your device ever fails and you lose the originals, retrieving them is as simple as downloading them from the servers.

Top 3 Online Backup Services

There are a lot of choices when it comes to backing up your data, and not all of them are going to give you the same service. Here I’ve laid out a few of the most popular options, and how they compare as far as features, security, and price points.

I’ll explain the technical features in plain English, and you can decide for yourself which one’s going to be the best one for the job.

#1 Choice:  iDrive – 9/10 – Easy to use, best prices

My favorite backup service is definitely iDrive – you don’t have to be tech savvy to use it, and the prices are just unbeatable. You get tons of features, great support, backup for all of your devices, and it’s all just $45 per year.

Here’s a taste of what you get with iDrive:

• 30 day file recovery – If you delete a backed up file with iDrive, you have an entire month to get it back before it’s gone for good.
• File versioning – When you modify a file on your system and back it up, iDrive allows you to retrieve up to ten previous versions of that file
• 1 TB of storage space – Yea, that’s right, you get 1,000 GB of storage space, or 1 TB included with their most basic plan.

On top of these killer features, iDrive’s security is some of the best you’ll find. Most companies only keep your files at one server location, so it’s really not geo redundant.

With iDrive, your files are stored at multiple locations – all of which they monitor and staff – so even if one of them is compromised, your files are still safe somewhere else.

Plus, iDrive works on all of your devices, so you can use it to back up mobile phones, laptops, PCs, Macs, even external hard drives. You’re not going to find a better online backup solution than iDrive.

For the most secure cloud storage for all your devices, get iDrive now.

#2:  CrashPlan – 8/10 – Unlimited storage space, but no mobile backup

So here’s the thing with CrashPlan – you get unlimited storage space, unlimited file versioning, and unlimited recovery, but only on computers and external hard drives – their service doesn’t let you backup mobile devices.

CrashPlan, like with iDrive, allows you to sync and access backed up files on the go, but you can’t actually backup the devices themselves. Another thing you’re going to be missing out on with CrashPlan is iDrive’s file sharing feature, which allows you to create a private folder to share files discreetly with other users.

While iDrive’s backup service is geo-redundant, CrashPlan’s is not. However, they do use the same military grade encryption to keep your information safe, and make sure to keep third party operators out of their business.

You can find CrashPlan here at their website.

#3: Acronis– 6/10 – Expensive, and no file recovery

I’m not a big fan of Acronis for a lot of reasons, but namely because their service is just so ridiculously expensive when compared to similar products. This is a company that makes you pay extra for everything.

If you need to backup more than one device, your rate jumps from an already steep $60 per year to a whopping $75, and continues to increase as you backup more devices.

On top of that, Acronis doesn’t even have the best backup service. There’s no recovering a file once it’s been deleted from your cloud, and even their service plan makes no promises about the security of your files.

They don’t even have the remote wipe feature that iDrive does, which allows you to wipe your device clean if it ever gets stolen.

For such an expensive backup service, you would really think there would be more included, but that’s just not the case with Acronis. They’ve got the basics covered, but if you want backup that isn’t going to bleed you dry, I would definitely stick with iDrive.

Acronis is here.

Conclusion: Use iDrive for Secure Backup Anytime, Anywhere

I know, I know, the old backing up your files lecture is becoming pretty repetitive, and I’m sure you’re sick of hearing it, but seriously, it is one of the simplest and smartest things you can do to protect your files.

Antivirus and VPNs are a great way to protect your privacy, but when it comes to the documents on your devices, you need to secure those from physical damage.

With iDrive’s online backup service, you get all these things:

• enough storage space for all of your devices
• remote wipe
• geo redundant storage
• mobile device backup
• easy to use software
• secure storage
• reasonable prices

For the most secure cloud storage of your files, with plenty of features included, get iDrive today.